Luxe, a startup that fixes the worst thing about city driving, just launched in New York City

Luxe Trying to find a place to park is hands down the worst part about driving in any city.

Valet-parking startup Luxe launched in New York City on Wednesday with an army of 30 blue-jacket-wearing valets to solve that problem.

Luxe cofounder and CEO Curtis Lee first got the idea for his valet-parking app while he was running late for a dinner reservation and looking for a parking spot in San Francisco — a city notorious for its lack of parking.

Lee and his then girlfriend (now wife) circled the block for half an hour and almost missed their reservation. Lee was so angry that he started sketching out early ideas for the company right there at the restaurant.

So how does Luxe work?

Before you leave your house, you plug in the address you're going to on your phone. The app tracks you as you make your way to your destination, and, about 10 minutes before you get there, it matches you with a Luxe valet attendant. You see what your attendant looks like on the app before you meet up with them, so you're assured that the person you're giving your keys to isn't an impostor.

Dressed in a bright blue jacket, your attendant meets you at your destination, hops into your car, and asks when you'll need it back and if you want them to run your car through a car wash or to fill your tank up with gas. Then they take your car to one of several lots in the city that Luxe has struck deals with.

For now, Luxe's New York City service is only available in Williamsburg in Brooklyn, in Manhattan from 57th Street to 96th Street, and in parts of midtown. Eventually, it will expand its availability.

Luxe Valet

Ten minutes before you're ready to leave, you use the app to request that the valet bring your car wherever you are. The most surprising thing about the app is its pricing.

Parking in urban areas is typically very expensive, but with Luxe, you'll pay about $7 an hour, with a maximum of $30 per day in Manhattan. In Williamsburg, users pay $5 an hour for parking, with a $15 maximum. Monthly, long-term parking in Manhattan will cost $399 per month, and in Williamsburg it costs $249 per month.

Luxe has raised $25.5 million in VC funding from Venrock, Redpoint Ventures, BoxGroup, Slow Ventures, SV Angel, SherpaCapital, Upfront Ventures, and others. Its competitors in New York include ValetAnywhere and Zirx, which both offer weekday-parking-valet services. Currently, Luxe also operates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and Boston. The company plans to expand to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Austin later in 2015.